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  <section id="cmake-install-prefix">
<span id="variable:CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX"></span><h1>CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX<a class="headerlink" href="#cmake-install-prefix" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h1>
<p>Install directory used by <span class="target" id="index-0-command:install"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../command/install.html#command:install" title="install"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">install()</span></code></a>.</p>
<p>If <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">make</span> <span class="pre">install</span></code> is invoked or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">INSTALL</span></code> is built, this directory is
prepended onto all install directories.</p>
<p>This variable defaults as follows:</p>
<ul>
<li><div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.29: </span>If the <span class="target" id="index-0-envvar:CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../envvar/CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX.html#envvar:CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX" title="CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX"><code class="xref cmake cmake-envvar docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX</span></code></a> environment variable is set,
its value is used as default for this variable.</p>
</div>
</li>
<li><p><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">c:/Program</span> <span class="pre">Files/${PROJECT_NAME}</span></code> on Windows.</p></li>
<li><p><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">/usr/local</span></code> on UNIX platforms.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>See <span class="target" id="index-0-variable:CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX_INITIALIZED_TO_DEFAULT"></span><a class="reference internal" href="CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX_INITIALIZED_TO_DEFAULT.html#variable:CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX_INITIALIZED_TO_DEFAULT" title="CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX_INITIALIZED_TO_DEFAULT"><code class="xref cmake cmake-variable docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX_INITIALIZED_TO_DEFAULT</span></code></a> for how a
project might choose its own default.</p>
<p>On UNIX one can use the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DESTDIR</span></code> mechanism in order to relocate the
whole installation to a staging area.  See the <span class="target" id="index-0-envvar:DESTDIR"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../envvar/DESTDIR.html#envvar:DESTDIR" title="DESTDIR"><code class="xref cmake cmake-envvar docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DESTDIR</span></code></a> environment
variable for more information.</p>
<p>The installation prefix is also added to <span class="target" id="index-0-variable:CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH"></span><a class="reference internal" href="CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH.html#variable:CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH" title="CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH"><code class="xref cmake cmake-variable docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH</span></code></a>
so that <span class="target" id="index-0-command:find_package"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../command/find_package.html#command:find_package" title="find_package"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">find_package()</span></code></a>, <span class="target" id="index-0-command:find_program"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../command/find_program.html#command:find_program" title="find_program"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">find_program()</span></code></a>,
<span class="target" id="index-0-command:find_library"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../command/find_library.html#command:find_library" title="find_library"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">find_library()</span></code></a>, <span class="target" id="index-0-command:find_path"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../command/find_path.html#command:find_path" title="find_path"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">find_path()</span></code></a>, and <span class="target" id="index-0-command:find_file"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../command/find_file.html#command:find_file" title="find_file"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">find_file()</span></code></a>
will search the prefix for other software. This behavior can be disabled by
setting the <span class="target" id="index-0-variable:CMAKE_FIND_NO_INSTALL_PREFIX"></span><a class="reference internal" href="CMAKE_FIND_NO_INSTALL_PREFIX.html#variable:CMAKE_FIND_NO_INSTALL_PREFIX" title="CMAKE_FIND_NO_INSTALL_PREFIX"><code class="xref cmake cmake-variable docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMAKE_FIND_NO_INSTALL_PREFIX</span></code></a> to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TRUE</span></code> before the
first <span class="target" id="index-0-command:project"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../command/project.html#command:project" title="project"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">project()</span></code></a> invocation.</p>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>Use the <span class="target" id="index-0-module:GNUInstallDirs"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../module/GNUInstallDirs.html#module:GNUInstallDirs" title="GNUInstallDirs"><code class="xref cmake cmake-module docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">GNUInstallDirs</span></code></a> module to provide GNU-style
options for the layout of directories within the installation.</p>
</div>
<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX</span></code> may be defined when configuring a build tree
to set its installation prefix.  Or, when using the <span class="target" id="index-0-manual:cmake(1)"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake.1.html#manual:cmake(1)" title="cmake(1)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-manual docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">cmake(1)</span></code></a>
command-line tool's <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake.1.html#cmdoption-cmake-install"><code class="xref std std-option docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--install</span></code></a> mode, one may specify
a different prefix using the <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake.1.html#cmdoption-cmake--install-0"><code class="xref std std-option docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--prefix</span></code></a>
option:</p>
<div class="highlight-shell notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>cmake<span class="w"> </span>--install<span class="w"> </span>.<span class="w"> </span>--prefix<span class="w"> </span>/my/install/prefix
</pre></div>
</div>
</section>


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